Samuel SHARPE (1799-1881)

Autograph Letter Signed (“Samuel Sharpe”) to Henry Austin Driver, passing on a compliment from his uncle on Driver’s poetry.
1½ pages 8vo with integral blank leaf, Highbury, 26 December 1843.        
“I had the pleasure yesterday of showing my respected uncle Mr Rogers your short poem on the opening of the Institution. He read it carefully, and pronounced it “very good writing”. He also looked at your Byron & the Abbey, on which he gave an equally favourable opinion; adding however as a qualification to his praise of the latter that he thought you studied the modern rather than the older English writers. From the high respect I entertain for every opinion of my Uncle’s in criticism, I should much value such praise, given when quite uncalled for by politeness, and I therefore have much pleasure in communicating it to you . . .”
Samuel Sharpe was a banker and nephew, through his mother, of the poet Samuel Rogers who is almost certainly the uncle mentioned in this letter. Sharpe, however, was best known as an Egyptologist and translator of the New Testament. He was the author of many works on the history of ancient Egypt, hieroglyphics, monuments, mythology and antiquities in the British Museum.
His correspondent, Henry Austin Driver, was a poet and a great admirer of Lord Byron. Driver spent considerable time and a great deal of effort in his attempts – unsuccessful sadly – to have a suitable memorial erected to Byron.
The letter has a brown stain on the first page, not obscuring the text, and the verso of the blank leaf has considerable dust and staining at the folds.

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